Process for treating glauconite or greensand



Patented Jan. 6,, 1925. i

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT 0. FRIEND, or cHIoaGo, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS FOR, TREATING GLAUCONITE R. GREENSAND.

No Drawing. Application filed January 23, 1924. Seria1 No. 688,100.

To all whom it may concern: them into soluble chloride salts which pass Be it known that I, ROBERT O. FRIEND, a off in solution While the base salt of the citizen of the United States, residing at Chisolution (potassium orsodium) is taken up cago, in the county'of Cook and State of by the mineral.

5 Illinois, have invented certain new and use These alternate reactions will proceed in- 6 ful. Improvements in Processes for {Treating definitely as will also discoloration of the Glauconite or Greensand, of which the folwater as aforesaid. Filtration of the soflowing is a specification. tened water will effect more or less clari- This invention has for its object to profication thereof but will not eliminate the 1 vide 'a simple, cheap and efiicient process discoloration appreciably. Hence, the water" 6 for preparing natural'base exchange siliis not well adapted for either domestic or cates, and particularly glauconite" or greenindustrial purposes. sand, for softening water for household and By subjecting the glauconite, or greensand industrial purposes and, further, to so preto the action of a hot caustic soda solution pare said silicates for such use as to enable in the presence of agitation, using substan- 70 it to be revivified by means of common salt tially one pound of caustic soda per one brine. hundred pounds of the mineral, with just In its natural state the glauconite or greensufficient Water to produce a substantially sand has a. potassium basel By filtering saturated solution (from five to ten degrees hard water through a mass of the mineral, Baum) of a temperature ranging prefer- 7 after having separated foreign substances, ably from about 150 to 210 degrees Fahrensuch as clay, earth and the like therefrom, heit and maintaining the agitation or stir the mineral will take up the hard salts v.of ring of the mineral in the solution for the water, viz; the calcium and magnesium fifteen minutes or more and then thoroughly salts thereof, and yield up to the water in Washing it with Water at substantially the 80 exchange therefor, its potassium base The same temperature asthat of'the solution, a resultant Water is of substantially zero hardvery thorough cleansing of the mineral is ness but in the process it becomes badly disfirst effected and it will be found to have colored, usually issuing as a bright green, undergone som-ephysical'or chemical change, murky liquid. the nature of which I have not ascertained. After the potassium base of the mineral A longer immersion in the caustic solution is exhausted, the water filtered through the seems to have neither a beneficial nor a mass thereof will remain unchanged as to deleterious effect on the minerahand though its hard salts content. The mineral may the temperature of the solution may be bebe then revivified and its original water low one hundred fifty degrees'Fahrenheit softening powers completely restored by I with a proportionately longer immersion of passing a potassium chloride solution therethe mineral therein, the higher temperature through, a substantially saturated solution rangev is more advantageous. Washing with being preferable and the quantity of po cold Water in place of hot ater may also tassium chloride required being from about he resorted to Without disadvantage except 95 to grains per pound of the mineral. to the extent that more water and a longer By using a substantially similar amount period of time are required to completely of sodium chloride in solution through the eliminate causticity from the mineral. mass, revivification will also result but the After washing to the extent last .menoriginal exohange'base of the mineral is then tioned, the mineralis allowed to drain for converted from potassium to sodium. an hour or more and is then immersed in a The reactions, which are very rapid, are dilute sodium silicate of a strength of prefsubstantially, that the mineral yields ,up its erably 42 degrees Baum', using about four; exchange base to the Water and takes up fifths to nine-tenths pound of the solution so from the latter the calcium and magnesium per 100 pounds of the mineral. The sob-.

until all of the exchange base has been extion is preferably heated to about to 'hausted. By now passing a chloride salt 200 Fahrenheit and the mineral maintained solution through the bed, as aforesaid, the immersed therein for ten minutes oi more, chlorine of the solution combines with the longer immersion having neither a beneficial calcium and magnesium salts to convert nor a deleterious effect thereon. A longer immersion preferable if the temperature salt is absent from the wash water.

chloride inthe wash water.

maintained is lower than 150 Fahrenheit.

The mineral is then again thoroughly washed with-hot or cold water until all traces of sodium silicate are absent from the wash water, and is then ready for use in the production of clear, undiscolored soft water adapted for domestic and industrial purp oses.

through a mass of the treated mineral for softening, the latter is subjected to the action of common salt brine, preferably saturated and containing not less than about forty grains of pure salt per pound ofthe mineral, by merely filtering said brine through the mass. The latter is then again washed with cold water until all trace of Hard water to be softened for domesticor indus- ,trial purposes, may now be filtered through the mineral-until test indicates that the resultantwater is of more than about two to; four grains hardness. The well known soap test may be used for thispurpose'and also to determine the presence of sodium If the soap test indicates that the resultant water is more or less hard, within substantia'lly the aforesaid limit, the passage of salt brine through the mass will eifect "res toration of the softening properties of the mineral, the flushing outwof the brine always following the passage of the latter.

Preferably, however, after immersion in 'theasoeliuni silicate solution, the mineral is first allowed to drain and is then dried under temperature conditions not exceeding about 250 Fahrenheituntil it is in condition. for screening, it being advisable to.

screen out all particles that will pass through a fifty-mesh screen.

The mineral may be successfully used in I such "apparatus as 'is described a d illuss I trated 1n mypending-applicationsfor patents, Serial Nos. 666,610 filed October 4, 1923 and 636,367, filed May 3, 1923, respectively. I

' The above described process is capable of I some variation and modification without de- Preferably, before filtering: hard water greensa-nd for water softening purposes am e F parting from the invention as defined in the appended claims' claim as my invention 1. The process of treating glauconite or greensand for water softening purposes which includes subjecting the same to the action of a substantially five to ten degrees Baume solution of caustic soda at a temperature less than the boiling point of water.

The process-of treatlng glauconite or which includes subjecting the same to the action of a substantially .tive to ten degrees ofcausticity is absent fromthe wash water,

and then immersing the same in a dilute solution of sodium silicate at a temperature less thanthe boiling point of water.

3. The. process. of treating glauconite or greensand' for water softening. purposes which includes subjectingthe same; to the action of-a substantially fivetoten degrees Baum solution of caustiesoda at'a' tem- V perat'ure less than thelboilingvpoint of water and for a period of fifteen minutesor more.

. aLThe process of treating glau'conite or.

greensandfor water softening purposes which includes subjecting. the same to the .varation of a substantially five'to tendegrees Ba-iim solution of caustic soda at a temperature-less than the boiling point ofwa'ter 'and for a period of fifteen minutes or more,

then washing-the same until all traceof causticity is absent from the wash water, and then immersing the same in a dilute solution of sodium silicate ata temperature less than the boiling'point ofwater.

5. The process of treating glauconite or greensancl for Water softening purposes which consists in'the successive steps of subjecting the sameto the action of a caustic alkali solutionwthen washingthe same with fresh water, then subjecting'it to the action of' a sodium salt solution, and thenagain washing the same with freshwater, all of" saidsteps being performed at a temperature less than the boiling point ofwater.

ROBERT- O. FRIEND. 

